The 2013 Sally Ordway Irvine Awards were given in five categories Monday afternoon. Called the Sally Awards, the Education recipient is Elizabeth Jaakola, an Anishinaabe musician and educator from the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe whose Indian name means “The lady who knows how to sing.”

The recipient for Initiative is Kristine Sorensen, executive director of In Progress, which gives young people the opportunity to express themselves creatively.

The recipient for Commitment is keyboard player James Samuel “Cornbread” Harris Sr., honored for six decades of the blues, jazz, polka, calypso and country music.

The Arts Access honoree is MacPhail Online, which provides educational opportunities for young people and adults.

And the winner for Vision is Franconia Sculpture Park, the St. Croix Valley park that also has become a gathering place for artists and a venue for concerts and workshops. Each year, the awards are presented in honor of Sally Ordway Irvine, a major force behind the creation of what is now the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.

— Chris Hewitt

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